37070 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 131 /Thursday, July 9, 1998 /Rules and Regulations

2 Implementation of the Pay Telephone

Reclassification and Compensation Provisions of

the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Memorandum

Opinion and Order, 63 FR 20534 (April 27, 1998),

13 FCC Rcd 4998 (1998) (‘‘Bureau Coding Digit

Waiver Order’’).

ANI, which will assist in identifying

payphones to compensation payers.

Each payphone must transmit coding

digits that specifically identify it as a

payphone, and not merely as a restricted

line. The Commission also clarified that

by October 7, 1997, LECs had to make

available to PSPs, on a tariffed basis,

such coding digits as a part of the ANI

for each payphone.

On October 7, 1997, the Bureau

granted, on its own motion, pursuant to

§ 1.3 of the Commission’s rules, a

limited waiver, until March 9, 1998, of

the payphone-specific coding

requirement for those LECs and PSPs

not yet able to provide transmission of

such digits. On March 9, 1998, in the

Bureau Coding Digit Waiver Order,2 63

FR 20534 (April 27, 1998), the Bureau

again granted certain limited waivers,

some of which expired on June 9, 1998.

On May 22, 1998, SBC petitioned the

Commission for extension of certain of

the limited waivers that had been

granted on March 9, 1998. On June 10,

1998, the Bureau granted, in part, SBC’s

petition. The limited waivers granted

SBS on June 10, 1998 are subject to the

same requirements as applied to the

waivers granted for these same technical

problems in the Bureau Coding Digit

Waiver Order, 63 FR 20534 (April 27,

1998).

Specifically, the Bureau’s June 10,

1998 order grants SBC limited waivers,

until August 15, 1998, for provision of

payphone-specific coding digits for 0-

transfer calls from six DMS 200 traffic

operator position system (‘‘TOPS’’)

switches; and until December 31, 1998,

for 800-type database services calls

routing to plain old telephone service

(‘‘POTS’’) phone numbers and 800-type

database services calls routed to access

tandem switches. The Bureau similarly

grants payphone service providers

(‘‘PSPs’’) corresponding limited waivers

of the requirement to provide payphonespecific coding digits before they can

receive compensation from

interexchange carriers (‘‘IXCs’’) for the

calls affected by SBC’s technical

problems.

The Bureau grants these limited

waivers because it finds that special

circumstances exist, and that granting

these waivers will promote the public

interest. These waivers are limited in

time and scope, and relate to specific

payphone coding digit implementation

problems that SBC states affect a small

percentage of the total number of

payphone calls.

Accordingly, pursuant to authority

contained in sections 1, 4, 201–205, 218,

226, and 276 of the Communications

Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151,

154, 201–205, 218, 226, and 276, and

the authority delegated pursuant to

Sections 0.91, 0.291 and 1.3 of the

Commission’s rules, 47 CFR 0.91, 0.291

and 1.3, it is ordered that the waiver

extensions are granted to the extent

described herein, and otherwise are

denied.

It is further ordered that this order is

effective immediately upon release

thereof, and that the waivers included

in this order are effective June 9, 1998.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 64

Communications common carriers,

Operator service access, Payphone

compensation, Telephone.

Federal Communications Commission.

Lawrence E. Strickling,

Deputy Bureau Chief, Common Carrier

Bureau.

[FR Doc. 98–18237 Filed 7–8–98; 8:45 am]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 070298E]

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Shrimp

Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Texas

Closure

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Adjustment of the ending date

of the Texas closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces an

adjustment of the ending date of the

annual closure of the shrimp fishery in

the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off

Texas. The closure is normally from

May 15 through July 15 each year. This

year the closure will end at 30 minutes

after sunset on July 8, 1998. The Texas

closure is intended to prohibit the

harvest of brown shrimp during their

major period of emigration from Texas

estuaries to the Gulf of Mexico so the

shrimp may reach a larger, more

valuable size and to prevent the waste

of brown shrimp that would be

discarded in fishing operations because

of their small size.

DATES: The EEZ off Texas is closed to

trawling from 30 minutes after sunset,

May 15, 1998, to 30 minutes after

sunset, July 8, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael E. Justen, 727–570–5305.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf

of Mexico shrimp fishery is managed

under the Fishery Management Plan for

the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of

Mexico (FMP). The FMP was prepared

by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery

Management Council and is

implemented under the authority of the

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act by

regulations at 50 CFR part 622.

The EEZ off Texas is normally closed

to all trawling each year from 30

minutes after sunset on May 15 to 30

minutes after sunset on July 15. The

regulations at 50 CFR 622.34(h) describe

the area of the Texas closure and

provide for adjustments to the beginning

and ending dates by the Director,

Southeast Region, NMFS, under

procedures and restrictions specified in

the FMP.

This year, the Texas closure began on

May 15, 1998. Biological data collected

by the Texas Parks and Wildlife

Department indicate that ending the

closure on July 8, 1998, will provide

adequate protection of small brown

shrimp emigrating from the Texas

estuaries and, therefore, will be

consistent with the FMP’s criteria for

adjustment of the closure. Accordingly,

the time and date for ending the Texas

closure as provided at 50 CFR 622.34(h)

(1) is changed from 30 minutes after

sunset, July 15, 1998, to 30 minutes after

sunset on July 8, 1998. Texas waters are

also to be opened beginning at 30

minutes after sunset on July 8, 1998.

Classification

This action is taken under 50 CFR

622.34(h)(2) and is exempt from review

under E.O. 12866.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated: July 2, 1998.

Gary C. Matlock,

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98–18232 Filed 7–6–98; 4:22 pm]

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